Disabled girl tops her school in PSLE
At the tender age of three, Loh Jia Wei was found to have muscular spinal atrophy, a muscle-wasting disease. She became wheelchair-bound after fracturing her thigh bone last year. But Jia Wei persevered and topped Evergreen Primary with an aggregate score of 278. -ST
Sumathi V. Selvaretnam
Fri, Nov 23, 2007
The Straits Times
AT THE tender age of three, Loh Jia Wei was found to have muscular spinal atrophy, a muscle-wasting disease.
A physically weak child, she missed out on most sports.
Then she became wheelchair-bound after fracturing her thigh bone in August last year.
She also felt faint during her Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) this year.
But Jia Wei, 12, persevered. With the results out yesterday, she topped her school, Evergreen Primary. Her aggregate score of 278 was the highest among her school's Primary 6 cohort of 487 pupils.
Jia Wei said: 'My teachers had high hopes for me and I did not want to disappoint them.'
She also attributed her success to the strong support that she received from her family.
When she missed school for a month in January after surgery to strengthen her spine, her form teacher, Madam Linden Ng, 41, visited her home once a week to help her with her schoolwork.
Madam Ng said: 'She took pride in every task or project. She really pushed herself.'
In August last year, Jia Wei's mother, Madam Loke Wai May, 44, left her job as a human resource officer in the civil service to take care of her only child.
Because Jia Wei's motorised wheelchair does not fit into the family car, Madam Loke and her Filipino maid had to wheel her from their home in Woodlands Drive to her school at Woodlands Circle every day.
Jia Wei's top PSLE result was all the sweeter since her medical condition made her tired after studying for more than an hour at a stretch.
She said: 'If I write for too long, my hand gets tired.' Despite this, she completed over 20 assessment books.
Jia Wei's father, Mr Loh Yap Song, 48, an executive in a label-printing company, was visibly delighted at his daughter's achievements.
But he had one worry. He said: 'She wants to go to Raffles Girls' School which is some distance away. Her wheelchair will fit only in a London cab. Transport will cost over $1,000 a month.'
Mr Loh can take heart.
Aware of her potential and family circumstances, the Tan Chin Tuan Foundation (TCTF), a philanthropic organisation, is exploring ways to help Jia Wei and two other disabled PSLE pupils at her school, through scholarships funds or bursaries.
TCTF CEO Eric Teng added that it will be setting aside funds to champion similar deserving causes that may arise in other schools.